Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!





We are off to C'est Bon tonight with friends to celebrate Bastille Day, so there'll be no french fare on offer this evening in our house (in fact, the boys are having tacos!).  I couldn't let the day go past without us all sitting down to something french though, so I opted for the frenchiest of the french - croissants.

This recipe is a bit of a cheater - it's certainly not Julia Child standard, but is remarkably quicker because you only rest the dough for 30 minutes in between rolling & folding.  The result is still very light and flaky.  One day I'll have the 2 days spare to put aside to making croissants slower (and properly) so that I can compare the two end products, but today's not that day!

The dough recipe itself comes from my old Panasonic Bread Maker Cookbook.  I've uploaded photos of each step which can be used as a step by step guide with the instructions below.

Croissants

Ingredients:-

*  6g dry yeast
*  500g bakers flour
*  50g caster sugar
*  24g powdered milk
*  8g salt
*  30g butter
*  350g water

Also -
*  250g butter
*  1 egg, beaten for glazing

Method:-

*  Roll 250g of chilled butter between two sheets of plastic wrap until it measures about 17 x 25cm rectangle.  Chill for at least an hour.

*  Add dough ingredients to Thermomix, mix quickly on Speed 5 for 5 seconds to bring together.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then knead for 4 minutes.  The dough should be shiny & elastic when it's finished.

*  Turn the dough into a greased bowl, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

*  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is a 30cm square.

*  Place the rolled out butter over two-thirds of the dough.  Fold the third without butter over the centre third.

*  Fold the remaining third on top.  Seal the edges and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

*  Place the dough so that it's at right angles to the position you started with when you added the butter (you do this each time you roll out again - so that your rolling pin is parallel to the open edges of the dough - not the folded seam).  Roll out into a 30cm square.  Fold into thirds again, wrap with cling film and then refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

*  Repeat this step twice more, making sure you rotate to a right angle each time.  Wrap and chill after each rolling.  After the final folding, chill for several hours or overnight.

*  Roll the dough out into a 30cm square (you can go bigger if you want it to be a bit thinner - just make sure you keep it square).  Cut the dough crosswise into thirds and then cut each third into thirds.  Cut each small square diagonally to create two triangles.

*  Roll each triangle loosely, starting from the side opposite the point.  Curve the ends inwards to create crescent shape.

*  Place on a tray, seam side down.  Cover and prove somewhere warm for 30-50 minutes (until nearly doubled in size).

*  Brush with the beaten egg and bake in preheated oven at 200º for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Bon Appétit!